1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device having an internal circuit and an output circuit that operate on the same source of electric power.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 8 shows an example of the circuit configuration of a conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device. As shown in this figure, in this device, both an internal circuit 10 and an output circuit 20 operate on the same supplied voltage VDD fed from a common electric power source. The output circuit 20 is built as a CMOS inverter circuit composed of a P-channel MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor) 21 and an N-channel MOSFET 22 (hereafter a MOSFET is referred to simply as a xe2x80x9ctransistorxe2x80x9d). The gates of these P-channel and N-channel transistors 21 and 22 are connected together, and their node is connected to the input terminal IN of the output circuit 20. The source of the P-channel transistor 21 is connected to a terminal D, which is in turn connected to the supplied voltage VDD. The source of the N-channel transistor 22 is connected to a terminal G, which is in turn connected to ground GND. The drains of the P-channel and N-channel transistors 21 and 22 are connected together, and their node is connected to the output terminal OUT of the output circuit 20
According to this circuit configuration, when the potential at the input terminal IN turns to a low level, the P-channel transistor 21 is turned on, and the N-channel transistor 22 is turned off, with the result that the potential at the output terminal OUT turns to a high level (equal to the supplied voltage VDD). By contrast, when the potential at the input terminal IN turns to a high level, the P-channel transistor 21 is turned off, and the N-channel transistor 22 is turned on, with the result that the potential at the output terminal OUT turns to a low level (equal to the ground level).
Now, consider a case where, as shown in FIG. 8, a capacitive load 50 is connected to the output terminal OUT of the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device described above. When the potential at the input terminal IN of the output circuit 20 turns from a high level to a low level, an electric current flows from the supplied voltage VDD through the P-channel transistor 21 so as to charge the load capacitance CK. By contrast, when the potential at the input terminal IN of the output circuit 20 turns from a low level to a high level, an electric current flows through the N-channel transistor 22 to ground GND so as to discharge the load capacitance CK.
Moreover, it is inevitable that, as shown in FIG. 8, small parasitic resistances RD and RG exist across the power lines, i.e. on the one hand along the path from the supplied voltage VDD to the branch node A between the internal circuit 10 and the output circuit 20, and on the other hand along the path from the confluence node B between the internal circuit 10 and the output circuit 20 to ground.
From the descriptions given above, it will be understood that, as the potential at the input terminal IN of the output circuit 20 turns from a high level to a low level, the current flowing through the resistance RD increases, and the current flowing through the resistance RG decreases; by contrast, as the same potential turns from a low level to a high level, the current flowing through the resistance RD decreases, and the current flowing through the resistance RG increases. In this way, every time the potential at the input terminal IN of the output circuit 20 changes its level, the currents that flow through the resistances RD and RG fluctuate, causing variations in the voltage on which the internal circuit 10 operates and thus destabilizing the operation of the internal circuit 10.
It is to be noted that, the greater the load capacitance connected to the output terminal OUT, for example as a result of a number of capacitive loads being connected in parallel to the output terminal OUT, and the higher the current capacity of the P-channel or N-channel transistor 21 or 22, the larger the currents that flow to charge and discharge the load capacitance, and therefore the more serious the effect of the problem. The same is true when a number of output circuits change their output level simultaneously.
An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit device that ensures stable operation of an internal circuit that operates on the same source of electric power as an output circuit.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a semiconductor integrated circuit device is provided with: a supplied power terminal for receiving electric power; an internal circuit that operates on the electric power supplied thereto via the supplied power terminal; an output circuit that operates on the electric power supplied thereto via the supplied power terminal; and a capacitive circuit element that is connected midway along the power supply path laid from the supplied power terminal to the output circuit and that acts to allow the electric current that occurs as the output circuit is turned on and off to be supplied to and from an output terminal via the output circuit.
In this circuit configuration, connecting a capacitive circuit element in the manner described above makes it possible to supply the current for the charging/discharging of the load capacitance also from the capacitive circuit element. This helps reduce the charge/discharge current required to be supplied from the supplied power terminal. As a result, it is possible to keep constant the current that flows from the supplied power terminal to the power supply path, and thereby reduce the effect on the internal circuit of the variations caused in the supplied voltage by the operation of the output circuit.